We acknowledge that minerals and metals make a major contribution to the world economy and modern societies. We note that mining industries are important to all countries with mineral resources, in particular developing countries. We also note that mining offers the opportunity to catalyse broad-based economic development, reduce poverty and assist countries in meeting internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals, when managed effectively and properly.

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Division for Sustainable Development

Selecta follows the A2R principle in treating mining impacts; Avoid [operating costs and GHG emissions], Reduce [liabilities as well as environmental and social impacts] and Reclaim [impacted land]. With the underlying belief that responsible mining is the key to profitable resource development, a basic tenet of the Selectra approach is to jointly, with the client, develop site specific Sustainable Architecture to maximise the business opportunity under the A2R premise whilst simultaneously achieving the other aims such as community development.

Avoid

Reduce

Reclaim

"Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

From the World Commission on Environment and Development’s (the Brundtland Commission) report Our Common Future.

Avoid

Avoiding operating costs through by replacing ‘dirty’ fossil energy with ‘clean’ renewable energy and concurrently avoid greenhouse gas emissions. Selectra can produce electricity from energy crops at up to half the cost of electricity produced by diesel powered generation, depending on site & climate conditions.

Reduce

Mines are responsible for the rehabilitation of mined areas after mine closure. Impacts, and therefore liabilities, can be significantly reduced through implementation of legacy projects which rehabilitate and return economic activity to the mine impacted areas, continue after mine closure and provide the communities built around the mine with new employment opportunities. Additionally technology, be it low voltage underground lighting, solid waste sorting for recycling, treatment of wastewater, and phyto-remediation of impacted soils reduce the environmental impacts of ongoing operations.

Reclaim

ReclaimMine impacted land has very little economic value as it is not suitable for the cultivation of food or feed crops due to the contaminants it contains, however Selectra has developed protocols to successfully and sustainably grow energy crops on impacted land. Growing high yield crops on the impacted land will eventually, through phyto-remediation return that land to its original state.